Cutting and Draping Special Occasion Clothes : Designs For Eveningwear and Partywear

Rating:
Summary: Never judge a book by its cover!
Review: I forgot the old adage and was seduced by the dazzling photo on the cover, but that was where my joy ended. To put it simply this book was very DISAPPOINTING!
My first problem was that after the author went into a lengthy diatribe about the importance of a well made primary block, (which all her secondary blocks are made from), she gave no instructions on how to make one.
The book continues along this vein of vagueness and half-explanations, which means one would need to have enough previous pattern-cutting experience in order to fill in the blanks. Therefore I would say this book is definetly NOT for beginners because most will be very confused.
I dont think the book will be very usefull to the advanced pattern cutter either because the styles she explains are very basic and you would probably have come across them in other patterncutting books where they were not being touted as "eveningwear".
The book also mentions draping in its title, which I find laughable as it covers draping on a total of THREE pages and with the exception of a cowl-neck top, I dont think ruching bits of fabric across the shoulders really qualifies as draping.
Suffice to say I do not recommend this book to ANYONE, as I found it totally useless, and I only gave it one star for the pretty picture on the cover which I shall frame to remind me CAVEAT EMPTOR!

Rating:
Summary: How to Draft a Strapless Bodice Sloper for Evening Wear!
Review: This book is not for beginners in dress drafting. But even though I'm a novice, I did find the information informative... drafting dressy clothes requires starting with a different sloper rather than the slopers used in the drafting of regular daytime garments. The books on this subject are hard to find and limited, so this book would still be helpful for someone seeking information on drafting evening garments. I believe it is meant to be a supplement to further study. I would say that it would help someone who already is intermediate or advanced in drafting to start exploring drafting evening garments. I did enjoy this book very much!